RIVERSIDE, Calif. -   UC Riverside women's basketball returned to the court on Friday evening at the SRC Arena for an exhibition game with Whittier College, coming away with an 83-42 win. 
A trio of Highlanders shot double digits, with Olivia West scoring 16 points (5-9 FG, 4-9 3PT, 2 FT) while Jada Holland and Daphne Gnago added ten points apiece.

Rose Morse started things quickly after tip off, nailing a corner three assisted by Matehya Bryant, launching UCR into a 18-2 run to open the exhibition. 

The Highlanders held the Poets to just 6 points in the first quarter, while they racked up 23. Jada Holland put up seven of the Highlanders 23 points, while teammate Matehya Bryant snagged 4 rebounds.
Whittier defense woke up and held the Highlanders to just four points for the first five minutes of the second period, narrowing UC Riverside's substantial lead 27-10. RyAnne Walters nailed a three pointer in the fifth minute of the period to ignite a 13-5 run.

Daphne Gnago and Esther Matarranz contributed two layups a piece in the quarter. UC Riverside entered the locker at halftime having extended their lead 40-15.

UCR came out strong in the second half, commanding a 46-26 lead by the first timeout of the period. As they entered the final period of play, the Highlanders held a 58-28 lead.

Newcomers led the team defensively, with Matehya Bryant grabbing eight boards and RyAnne Walters snatching eight steals. Mele Finau contributed offensively with a team high five assists.

The Poets scored 14 points in the final frame, their highest scoring period of the game, but ultimately it wasn't enough to overcome the Highlanders early lead. UC Riverside won the exhibition with a final score of 83-42.

Head Coach Nicole Powell was encouraged seeing her squad play saying, "It was great having a lot of people contribute, which is really important to how we want to structure our program. Everyone matters, everyone adds value to the team. Everyone came in at some point and did something well, so it was a really nice team effort."

On the first game of the season with the 2021-22 roster Coach Powell said, "What I like about this group is their enthusiasm for each other. Even in shoot around, they are excited to be together, they are excited to play, and they care about each other."

The Highlanders open the regular season on Tuesday, November 9 at 6 PM in the SRC Arena hosting the Crosstown Showdown against California Baptist.